The Federal Government has launched the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Prize, an annual ₦365 million programme designed to recognise and reward outstanding research, innovation and intellectual excellence across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
The initiative, announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s culture of scholarship and encouraging students and researchers to develop solutions to national development challenges. The programme will cover universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
Under the prize structure, ₦35 million will be awarded for the Undergraduate Star Prize, ₦50 million for the Master’s Star Prize and ₦100 million for the Doctoral Star Prize. An additional ₦180 million will fund 15 Thematic Excellence Prizes, with each category receiving ₦12 million.
The thematic categories include areas such as Engineering and Technology, Medicine and Health Sciences, Agriculture, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, and Teaching Innovation. The programme will recognise academic work with strong potential for commercialisation, industrial application and broader developmental impact.
The Federal Government said the initiative forms part of efforts to reposition tertiary institutions from predominantly certificate-awarding centres into hubs of research, innovation, enterprise and national development. It is being implemented jointly by the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) and the Federal Ministry of Education.
The programme is expected to encourage greater investment in research, support emerging talent and strengthen the connection between academic discoveries and practical economic applications. It could also help promote innovation-led growth by encouraging researchers to develop solutions relevant to Nigeria’s industrial and social challenges.
